Traveling case with adjustable shelves



March 17, 1964 c. J. STARK TRAVELING CASE WITH ADJUSTABLE SHELVES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1960 INVENTOR BY C120 QKPM March 17, 1964 c. J. STARK TRAVELING CASE WITH ADJUSTABLE SHELVES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1960 INVENTOR C Jfiia 9 7C QCPM March 17, 1964 c. J. STARK TRAVELING CASE WITH ADJUSTABLE SHELVES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 10, 1960 Hid A W.

INVENTOR C: J 55a 7/ C wa awm-b ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,125,198 TRAVELING CASE WITH ADJUSTABLE SHELVES Clarence J. Stark, W. State St, Battle Creek, Mich. Filed Feb. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 7,853 6 Claims. (Cl. 190-51) The present invention relates broadly to luggage, and in its more specific phases to a traveling case having adjustable position shelves.

When traveling and carrying various articles of apparel, shaving equipment, clock, et cetera, in an ordinary suitcase, jostling and rough handling, particularly when the case is being transported in upright position, frequently causes disarrangement of the articles and severe rumpling of apparel, often requiring re-laundering or re-pressing before they can be used. Moreover, when stopping at a motel, hotel, or the like, it is customary to unload the suitcase and place the apparel in dresser drawers, or a closet, and this is not only inconvenient, but frequently leads to leaving some articles behind when re-packing and leaving. It was a recognition of the problems, difliculties, and shortcomings of the prior luggage items, and the complete lack of a wholly satisfactory commercial solution to same which led to the conception and development of the present invention.

Accordingly among the objects of the present invention is the overcoming of such ditficulties by providing a novel traveling case which may remain upright during travel, will hold the contents against disarrangement, and may be used as an upright cabinet in which to keep the contents in orderly fashion, without unpacking, when stoping at a hotel or the like.

In carrying out the above end, a further object is to provide a traveling case containing a plurality of shelves upon which to place the various articles while the case stands upright, instead of packing while the case lies on one side as usual, and to provide for relatively adjusting said shelves vertically to accommodate the various articles and to permit light yet effective gripping of the articles between the shelves.

Another object is to provide simple yet effective means for releasably holding the shelves in the positions to which they may be adjusted.

Still another object is to provide a novel construction for permitting easy removal of any of the shelves.

Still another object is to provide a traveling case which is adapted to be packed full of clothes and with such clothes, such as freshly laundered shirts, being held firmly packed so that they are not subject to severe rumpling in transportation, and on the other hand, if there is only enough clothes to partly fill the case, they likewise can be held firmly packed and protected during transportation, which is impossible with an ordinary traveling case.

Yet another object is to provide a simple and practical construction which may be expeditiously manufactured either as a complete traveling case assembly, or as an attachment for previously purchased traveling cases, and

may therefore be profitably sold at a reasonable price.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the luggage means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain means for carrying out the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but several of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In the annexed drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away 3,125,198 Patented Mar. 17, 1964 and in section, of a piece of luggage embodying a preferred form of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical transverse section as taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section as taken on line 33 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation, partly broken away and in section, showing a different construction, which is adapted to be either in the form of a traveling case with the present improved shelf assembly incorporated in same, or such shelf assembly to be sold as an attachment for previously purchased traveling cases.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section as taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 6 is a plan View showing that the shelves may be of longitudinally extensible and retractible form if desired, to meet the requirements of varying size traveling cases without the necessity of having a different fixed size shelf for each size traveling case.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view as taken on line 77 of FIGURE 8, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing a different manner of mounting the shelves.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged section as taken on line 88 of FIGURE 7, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Illustrative forms of the invention have been shown in the drawings and will be rather specifically described, but attention is invited to the possibility of making numerous variations within the spirit and scope of the invention as shown and herein described. Also, it is to be understood that any appropriate materials may be employed in the construction of the case. For example, the case 10 shown in FIGURES l to 3 may be considered as formed primarily from a comparatively stiff material which will impart substantial rigidity to said case, Whereas the case 10a illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 may be considered as constructed principally from a flexible material.

Examples of appropriate stiff materials are sheet aluminium and fiberboard and examples of suitable flexible material are natural or artificial leather and woven textiles. When a flexible material is used, conventional suitcase framing and reinforcements may of course be employed to maintain the shape of the case.

Regardless of the material used, the case 10, FIGURES l, 2, and 3, or lila, FIGURES 4 and 5, comprises a bottom 11, a top 12 having a handle 13, a vertical back wall 14, vertical end walls 15, and a front wall 16 having a forwardly movable portion which may be of any suitable form such as hinged, or even held by a slide fastener. As stated above the case It utilizes comparatively stifi material which will impart substantial rigidity to the case. The rigidity meeting this requirement is, of necessity, largely in the body portion which forms the frame of the case and consists of bottom 11, top 12, and end walls 15. In the constructions shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the front wall 16 is more or less flexible, and has a flap portion which is hingedly secured at its lower edge, said flap having its other edges detachably secured to the outer edge portions of said front wall panel 16 by a conventional means 17 known commonly as a slide fastener.

In the form of construction shown in FIGURES 1 to 3, a front, vertical shelf-supporting rail 18 and a rear, vertical shelf-supporting rail 19 are secured by rivets or the like 20 to the inner side of each of the end walls 15 adjacent the front and back walls 16 and 14. Each rail I8, 19 is preferably in the form of a metal channel. One side flange 21, FIGURE 3, of each front rail 18 is secured against the end wall 15, and the other side flange 22 is inwardly spaced from said end wall. The flange 22 3 of this rail 18 is formed with vertically spaced openings 23. One side flange 24, FIGURE 3, of each rear rail 19 is secured against the end wall 15, and the other side flange 25 of same is inwardly spaced from said end wall 15. The flange 25 is provided, for ease of adjusting the shelf positions, with vertically spaced forwardly open .notches 26 equal in number to the openings 23, in flange 22 of front rail 18 and disposed one behind and in line with each of said openings so that the shelves may be placed in substantially horizontal position when the case sets upright as shown in FIGURE 2.

Vertically spaced shelves 27 extend substantially horizontally from the rails 18, 19 at one end of the case, to the corresponding rails at the other end thereof. The rear corners of the shelves 27 are provided with fixed studs 28, FIGURE 3, which project longitudinally therefrom for reception in any of the notches 26. The front corners of the shelves 27 are equipped with bolts 29 which are projectable longitudinally beyond the ends of said shelves into any of the openings 23 in front rail 18. The shelves may thus be supported and locked at any desired elevations to most advantageously hold the articles placed thereon and upon the case bottom 11. Also, any shelf may be easily removed by releasing its bolts 29 and forwardly moving the shelf to release studs 28 following which the shelf may be tilted and lifted out, and any removed shelf may be re-inserted with equal ease by reversing these steps.

Each shelf 27 may be made of suitable plastic, but preferably it is of sheet metal construction with downturned reinforcing flanges 30 at its ends and downwardly and inwardly turned angle flanges 31 and 31a at its front and rear edges, respectively. Metal pins 32, FIGURE 3, are secured by rivets 33 within the confines of the angle flanges 31a and the outer ends of these pins constitute the notch engaging studs 28. Guide brackets 34, FIG- URE 3, for the bolts 29 are secured within the confines of the angle flanges 31, and compression springs 35 are associated with said brackets and bolts to project the latter out through the end of the shelf. These bolts have forwardly turned inner ends 36 extending through slots 37 in the angle flange 31 and provided with knobs 38 for easily releasing said bolts from engagement with openings 23 in flange 22 of front rail 18.

In FIGURES 4 and 5, the front and rear rails 18a and 19a are integral with a vertical plate 39 which is secured by rivets, or bolts 49 or the like to one of the end Walls of the case 10a, and spacers 41, if desired, may be interposed between said plate and end wall. The same construction is of course provided at the other end of the case. Each end of the shelf 27a has a stud 28a engageable with notches 26a in the rear rail 19a, and each shelf end is also provided with a bolt 2% engageable with openings 23a in the front rail 18a. Each shelf 27a is preferably of longitudinally extensible and retractible form as shown in FIGURE 6 to fit different length cases. In this form the end portions of the shelf telescope together, and a locking member 48 of conventional form is used to releasably lock them together through a slot 49. The construction illustrated jointly by FIGURES 4 to 6, inclusive, is therefore well adapted as an attachment for easy application to cases of different sizes and installed by the case manufacturer, or if desired this construction can be sold by luggage stores as an attachment for luggage owners to install themselves.

FIGURES 7 and 8 disclose another way which may be employed for supporting the shelves. Each end wall 15 of the case is provided with horizontal, channeled shelf supports, one of which is shown at 42. The support 42 has an upper, downwardly projecting flange 43, FIGURE 8, and a lower, upwardly projecting flange 44. The flange 43 has a notch 45, FIGURE 7, in its lower edge. Each end wall 15 of the case has a multiplicity of the like spaced shelf supports 42, and the ends of the shelves 27b are selectively engageable with said supports ,to removably mount said shelves at desired elevations.

Each shelf end has a spring detent 46, FIGURE 8, engageable with the notch 45 of the adjacent support 42 .to hold the shelf in desired position while guarding same against accidental forwarding sliding. Also, to prevent sufficient outward yielding of either of the end walls 15 to disengage the supports 42 from the shelf, each end of the shelf may have a cleat or the like 47 hooking over and in abutting relation with the flange 44. This construction is also Well adapted for installation by either the traveling case manufacturer, or by the traveling case owner as an attachment.

From the foregoing it will be seen that novel provision has been disclosed for attaining the desired ends. However, attention is again invited to the possibility of making variations within the spirit and scope of the invention as herein shown and described. For simplicity of describing the invention in the position shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 4, directional terms such as vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, front, back, et cetera, have been used. However the invention is not to be construed as limited by such directional terms since the construction involved would be identically the same if the traveling case were laid on its side instead of upright as shown.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of those explained, change being made as regards the traveling case and adjustable shelf combinations herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a traveling case having a bottom, a top having a handle, a vertical back wall, and vertical end walls, said bottom, top, and end walls all forming a unitary frame holding said end walls substantially fixed against spreading relative to each other, and a vertical forwardly movable front wall; two vertical substantially rectangular plates at the inner sides of said end walls respectively, each of said plates having a front and a rear vertically disposed shelf mounting rail, means fixedly mounting said plates on said end walls respectively, vertically spaced horizontal shelves extending from the rails of one of said plates to the rails of the other of said plates, and releasable means mounting said shelves on said rails for vertical adjustment.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1, in which said releasable means for mounting said shelves on said rails for vertical adjustment includes retractible bolts mounted on the front corners of said shelves and normally projecting beyond the ends of said shelves, in combination with front rails having suitable sized and spaced openings for receiving the ends of said retractible bolts, the rear corners of said shelves having longitudinally projecting studs, said rear rails having forwardly open notched edges, and said longitudinally projecting studs fitting into said forwardly open notched edges of said rear rails.

3. In a traveling case having a bottom, a top, a carrying handle extending above said top, a vertical back wall, vertical end walls, said bottom, top, and end walls forming a unitary frame, and a vertical front wall which is openable, the combination therewith of a series of horizontal shelf supports with upper and lower flanges and an open front end between said flanges for slidably receiving the ends of said shelves, means for anchoring said shelf supports to each of the end walls of said case in symmetrically spaced horizontal relation, horizontally mountable shelves adapted to have their ends fit into the slot between the upper and lower flanges of said horizontal shelf supports at the opposite ends of said case, and means for releasably anchoring the ends of said shelves in the corresponding horizontally located slots of said shelf supports.

4. In a traveling case solely openable from the front thereof, said traveling case having a bottom, a top having a handle, a vertical back wall, vertical end walls, and a vertical front wall, said bottom, top, and end walls all forming a continuous unitary frame holding said end walls against substantial spreading relative to each other, with said rear wall unit joined all around to said frame, and with said front wall likewise unit joined to said frame and provided with an inner portion hingedly connected to same adjacent to one edge of said frame and extending to each of the other three edge portions of said front panel adjacent said frame, means for disconnectably anchoring said inner portion of said front panel to said three edge portions thereof, a front and a rear shelf-supporting rail fixedly mounted in vertical position at the inner side of each of said end walls, the two rear rails being each provided with vertically spaced forwardly open notches, the two front rails being provided with vertically spaced openings, the axes of which extend longitudinally of the case, substantially horizontal shelves extending from the rails at one end wall of the case to the rails at the other end wall, means for adjusting the length of said shelves to tightly fit between said rails, the rear corners of said shelves having longitudinally projecting means receivable in some of said forwardly open notches of the rear rails, and spring projected retractible bolts mounted on the front corners of said shelves, said bolts normally projecting beyond the ends of said shelves into some of said openings of the front rails.

5. In a traveling case solely openable from the front thereof, said traveling case having a bottom, a top, a carrying handle extending above said top, a vertical back wall, vertical end walls, and a vertical front wall, said bottom, top, and end walls all forming a unitary frame holding said end walls substantially fixed against spreading relative to each other, with said rear wall unit joined all around to said frame, and with said front wall likewise unit joined to said frame and provided with an inner portion hingedly connected to same adjacent to one edge of said frame and extending to each of the other three edge portions of said front panel adjacent said frame, means for disconnectably anchoring said inner portion of said front panel to said three edge portions thereof, vertically spaced substantially horizontal shelves in said case and extending substantially from end-to-end of said frame thereof, means at the inner face of said end panels for mounting said shelves for vertical adjustment to different positions, said shelves being forwardly removable when said inner portion of said front wall is opened, and means to normally hold said shelves against removal.

6. In a traveling case solely openable from the front thereof, said traveling case having a bottom, a top, a carrying handle extending above said top, a vertical back wall, vertical end Walls, and a vertical front wall, said bottom, top and end walls all forming a continuous unitary frame substantially holding said end walls against spreading relative to each other, with said rear wall unit joined all around to said frame, and with said front wall likewise unit joined to said frame and provided with an inner portion hingedly connected to same adjacent to one edge of said frame and extending to each of the other three edge portions of said front panel adjacent said frame, means for disconnectably anchoring said inner portion of said front panel to said three edge portions thereof, a front and a rear shelf-supporting rail fixedly mounted in vertical position at the inner side of each of said end walls, alined shelf supporting means on said rails, vertically spaced horizontal shelves extending from the rails at one of said end walls to the rails at the other of said end walls, said shelf supporting means mounting said shelves on said rails in manner facilitating vertical adjustment to different positions, said shelves being forwardly removable when said inner portion of said front wall is hingedly opened, and releasable means to normally hold said shelves against removal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,137,579 Cohn Apr. 27, 1915 1,990,756 Saaf Feb. 12, 1935 2,667,401 Knuth Jan. 26, 1954 2,791,479 Jasin May 7, 1957 2,874,813 Bunte Feb. 24, 1959 2,918,997 Kotkins Dec. 29, 1959 2,985,265 Gehrie May 23, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,771 Great Britain Nov. 16, 1895 

1. IN A TRAVELING CASE HAVING A BOTTOM, A TOP HAVING A HANDLE, A VERTICAL BACK WALL, AND VERTICAL END WALLS, SAID BOTTOM, TOP, AND END WALLS ALL FORMING A UNITARY FRAME HOLDING SAID END WALL SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED AGAINST SPREADING RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, AND A VERTICAL FORWARDLY MOVABLE FRONT WALL; TWO VERTICAL SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR PLATES AT THE INNER SIDES OF SAID END WALLS RESPECTIVELY, EACH OF SAID PLATES HAVING A FRONT AND A REAR VERTICALLY DISPOSED SHELF MOUNTING RAIL, MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTING SAID PLATES ON SAID END WALLS RESPECTIVELY, VERTICALLY SPACED HORIZONTAL SHELVES EXTENDING FROM THE RAILS OF ONE OF SAID PLATES TO THE RAILS OF THE OTHER OF SAID PLATES, AND RELEASABLE MEANS MOUNTING SAID SHELVES ON SAID RAILS FOR VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT. 